Trolls: Aftermath
by Dawnbuneary
Summary: "Your True Colours are beautiful..." Just a look into what happens to our trolls after the movie. This is my first fanfic so I hope you enjoy! Expect Poppy X Branch in this because it's an irresistible ship!
1. Chapter 1

It was a nice sunny day on the beach near Bergen Town and the Troll tree. The Snack Pack, plus Bridget and King Gristle, were currently having a fun picnic organized by Poppy, because why not? Branch was there, too. Now that he's more open to the Trolls, (especially Poppy) he's been trying to show up at parties and events to have fun, but really only if the pink troll was there. And you know, as the Queen of the Trolls, of course, she's going to attend the parties, and if she isn't attending, then she would've been the one throwing the party. The green troll is still…adapting to being so happy, but he's going well.

Anyway, the Snack Pack were having a nice time. They were talking, singing, eating, and, of course, there would be the occasional hug. Poppy was showing everyone how to do a certain…cup song that everyone seemed enthralled by. Branch was just watching in amusement, smiling softly as Poppy taught the cup routine and the song.

"You're gonna miss me by my hair, you're gonna miss me everywhere, oh…" she sang, as everyone repeated afterward. Branch mumbled the song, too, because, heck, it became catchy after a while. Poppy heard him singing and smiled.

"Branch, come on, try!" she said handing him a plastic cup. He chuckled.

"No, thanks, Poppy. I don't think I'm gonna be able to learn whatever _that_ was." He replied, pushing the cup softly back. Poppy chucked the cup at his head playfully.

"You're no fun!" she said, teasingly. Branch rolled his eyes. Everyone, excluding Branch and Cooper, who gave up midway, continued trying to do the song.

"I did it!" Guy Diamond exclaimed in his auto-tune voice happily, once he successfully did the song. Everyone applauded him happily. Branch chuckled and then glanced to the side towards the forest. A glimpse of a bright green-blue thing beyond the tall trees that didn't seem to belong. He paused. Poppy noticed Branch was staring off to the side somewhere.

"Branch, what's wrong?" she asked concerned, trying to see what he was looking at. Branch snapped out of his trance and looked at her.

"Uh…nothing. I just have to check something real quick." He responded standing up and looking towards the trees. She grabbed his hand softly.

"Are you sure?" Poppy asked again. Branch turned back to her and gave a reassuring look. She let his hand go and nodded.

"Well…okay. But be careful." Poppy said, kindly. Branch nodded and then wandered off to where he thought he saw the strange occurrence. In the forest, he approached the strange object. However his vision was slightly obscured by a small bush in between him and the neon...thing.

As soon as he jumped over the bush and saw what it was he did a double take.

Oh.

 _ **OH. That wasn't what he was expecting.  
**_

Out of reflex, he stretched his hair to act as a cage around the "creature", making "it" yelp in shock.

He's got to show Poppy.

* * *

 _ **Well, that's the first chapter. I understand if it's not the best, but I tried. This is my first fanfic, so I made it about Trolls :D**_

 _ **I can't wait for the movie to come out where I am!**_

 _ **Do you know what Branch caught? Find out in the next chapter!**_

 _ **For now, I'm signing off.**_

 _ **Peace.**_

 _ **(Also, did you catch the reference in this chapter?)**_


	2. Chapter 2 Caught a Coward

The Snack Pack and two Bergens looked in utter shock.

In front of them was Branch holding his hair-cage in front of them, containing a certain Troll...

" **CREEK?** " they all shouted in surprise. Creek had a look on his face that read fear, surprise, then relief. However, Branch knew the coward was nervous about being caught red-handed back at Bergen Town because Creek was struggling to get out of the cage as Branch walked back to the group. The purple troll certainly didn't seem the same "wise" troll he had once been. He seemed kind of dishevelled and had guilt etched on his soul. Whoa. That came out of nowhere.

"Poppy! How nice to see you!" he said in false happiness. Poppy had a very stern face. She certainly didn't appreciate the last time she saw Creek. Memories of his betrayal called back to her. To be honest, it was one of the thoughts that made her feel distraught.

"Set him down, Branch." Poppy said, still glaring at the traitor. Branch reluctantly put Creek down, retracted his hair and went to go stand next to Poppy. The rest of the Snack Pack were silent.

"Branch? Funny, I didn't even recognise you!" Creek said, trying to break the ice, or turn attention away from himself. Sure enough, the last time Creek saw Branch, he was still grey. Branch narrowed his glare.

"What are you doing here, traitor?" He asked angrily, cutting to the chase.

"I barely got away from Chef. She tried to eat me when she realised I was her last chance of happiness. But I got away safely." Creek explained, trying to maintain his calm composure, but his guilt was still in his voice.

"Real shame." Branch said coldly, giving Creek a death stare, having the biggest urge to strangle him again.

"Creek. In case you have forgotten, you and Chef have been banished from being anywhere near the Troll Tree and Bergen Town." Poppy said in the uncharacteristically proper and stern voice of a true queen. You know that when she's serious, you messed up.

"But what did I do?" Creek asked, playing dumb and innocent.

"You put the lives of the Trolls in danger, seemingly willingly. All because you were too afraid to be eaten, you sold your friends and their families out to the Bergens. Your cowardice nearly killed us. If it wasn't for Branch, we'd all be dead." she explained, staring him down.

"Poppy, please," Creek said, advancing slowly towards her, having a solemn face. He took her hand in both of his. Poppy looked down at it, wanting to pull away, but she didn't try.

"I know I have wronged you all in the past, but I swear, it was the only option I had," he told her, softly. Charming, indeed, but that doesn't excuse what he did. Still-

Branch, feeling suddenly defensive, swiftly separated and swatted Creek's hands away from Poppy's.

"No, it wasn't. The least you could've done was fake surrender to the Bergens without actually going on with Chef's plan. Or maybe not look so happy to betray us? Or better yet _let Gristle eat his first Troll_." Branch told him savagely. Gristle Jr looked uncomfortable in being mentioned.

Everyone else was still silent. They were at loss for words.

Creek ignored him.

"Please, Poppy. Forgive me. Don't you remember what we once were?" Creek said softly.

"What?" Branch asked abruptly.

"I _know_. But can I really forgive after your actions?" Poppy asked. It wasn't a rhetorical question. She genuinely sounded like she was torn between forgiving him or not.  
There was a silent pause.

"Branch, can I talk to you?" Poppy asked him. Branch nodded, confused. "Guys, could you guard Creek while we talk?"

The Snack Pack and Bergens nodded and kept their gaze on Creek. Poppy gestured for Branch to follow her away from the group. He obliged. Once they were a small distance away, she turned to him.

"Branch, do...do you think we should forgive Creek...?" Poppy asked him, meekly. Branch was surprised.

"What? No, of course not! Poppy, he almost killed us! Almost killed you," he retorted. Poppy pulled her hair down softly and started combing through it, nervously, contemplating Branch's words.

"But maybe he's changed..." Poppy said, surprising herself for trying to defend Creek. Branch narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"What is this about, Poppy?" he asked, curiously.

"I just keep thinking about the good old times...when he was our friend," Poppy said, sadly.

" _Your_ friend," Branch corrected. Poppy always saw good in every troll, and he loved that. However, in this case, it wasn't the best quality to have.

"I don't want Creek to be any more trouble to us, but at the same time, I want him to give him a chance to show that he's not truly bad," she told him, looking down. Branch looked at her in pity. In all honesty, no troll had ever done what Creek did before, so King Peppy didn't have to worry about making this decision. Poppy had just become queen, and she has to either shun an old friend away or forgive and invite the traitor back. To Branch, it seemed like a no brainer. He never liked Creek, but Poppy used to be very fond of the troll. Keep in mind that she always saw good in every Troll, even Branch. The biggest grump who used make sarcastic remarks and who refused to be happy. She got Branch to show his true colours, but in all honesty, Creek seems like he's already shown his.

"Hm..."

"Would you trust him?" Poppy asked.

"I trust you," Branch concluded, kindly. Poppy sighed in exasperation, a reaction the male didn't expect.

"Branch, that's sweet, but _I_ don't trust myself with this decision! I need help."

"Well, if you're willing to let Creek prove that he's trustworthy, then try it. But if he tries anything, I'll make sure he doesn't do it again," Branch said, seriously. Poppy raised her eyebrows.

"And what exactly are you planning to do?"

"Duh, lock him in the cage he locked us in...and then strangle him...again..."

" _Branch_."

"Kidding...About the strangling part. But I'm serious about locking him up. If he's in cahoots with Chef or any other predator, then who knows what will happen if we just banish him again and let him join back with Chef," Branch explained seriously. "But if it were my choice, Creek wouldn't be able to step foot anywhere near here at all."

Poppy contemplated.

"I think I know what to do," she concluded. "Thanks, Branch. I can always count on you" she said, genuinely, giving him a hug. Branch reciprocated, willingly, before pulling away.

They walked back to the group, who were circled around Creek.

"Creek," Poppy said, clearly for everyone to hear. "We have decided what to do."

* * *

 **So that's the end of that chapter!**

 **Yes, the "creature" Branch caught was actually Creek! Surprised? Probably not, but in the last chapter, what Branch actually saw was the top of Creek's hair, while his purple body was hidden behind the bush.**

 **Stay tuned for more chapters soon!**

 **This is Dawn, signing off.**

 **Pea-**

 **wait. Okay, so I suddenly had a thought. If Branch is voiced by Justin Timberlake, then does that mean Branch sung songs like Mirrors and Suit & Tie? WAIT. Does that mean Branch sung Sexyback? 'Kay this is getting kinda awkward. Signing off for real now.**

 **Peace.**


	3. Chapter 3 His Punishment

"Creek," Poppy said, clearly for everyone to hear. "We have decided what to do."

Everybody looked at her.

"We have decided...that you will be sentenced to-"

"DEATH!" Smidge cried in her gruff voice, savagely. When there was an awkward pause, Smidge looked sheepish. "Sorry."

"What I was going to say, was that you will be sentenced to the cage...if you try anything shady while you're...here," Poppy concluded, reluctantly. Creek's eyes lit up at the word "here". Branch closed his eyes shortly. Of course, that was what she was going to choose. She's too forgiving sometimes. But he was sure Poppy knew what she was doing, and he was glad she took his suggestion of the cage.

"Wait, are you saying..." Creek asked, not finishing his sentence. Poppy sighed.

"Yes, you're no longer banished. But that's only if you behave. You will have a second chance to prove your loyalty. Don't take advantage of our t-trust again," Poppy said, briefly breaking her stern composure as the memory of Creek's betrayal flashed through her mind.

"Trust me. You won't regret this," Creek said, calmly smirking. Branch watched Creek's expression closely.

 _'He better not try anything..._ _ **'**_ Branch thought.

Poppy turned around and started walking off the beach to the town.

"Everyone, follow me. The picnic's over."

The Pack obliged without a word. It was unsettling to see them so silent, almost like they were still trying to process what happened.

"Poppy," Satin spoke up. "Where are we going?" Chenille finished for her twin.

"We're going to talk to my dad about this."

Branch didn't bother reminding Poppy that she was the queen now, and she's the one that calls the shots. Maybe checking with her dad will help her make sure her decision was correct.

As they made their way back to the Tree, the Snack Pack stayed circled around Creek, making sure he doesn't try to escape. Branch looked at Poppy, whose expression wore a frown. That was never good. The encounter with Creek really got her spirits down. He had to do something. Branch walked ahead of the pack over to the former princess.

"You okay, Poppy?" he asked her, concerned. The pink troll looked over at him.

"Yeah, I just hope I made a good decision," she replied, looking down. "Am I doing okay as a Queen, Branch?"

"Of course you are. All the Trolls and Bergens are happy, aren't they? And I'm sure you're making the right decision with Creek," he said, holding her hand to at least get her to smile a bit. Sure enough, she smiled and tightened her grip slightly as they walked.

"I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You probably would've been spider food."

Poppy playfully punched Branch's arm with her free hand, causing him to laugh slightly. She laughed too, and then leaned her head on Branch's shoulder as they walked. He smiled. She was in high spirits again.

Seeing the tension lift slightly, the Snack Pack were no longer silent. They were just making small talk with each other, while avoiding talking to Creek. Creek himself was silent, watching Poppy and Branch acting very close. His expression was neutral, but curious.

They walked into the colorful town and into the Troll Tree, with Bridget and Gristle waiting outside. The interior of the inside of the hollow tree was actually the palace where Peppy, Poppy, and even Branch lived in. Poppy insisted on Branch having his own room in the tree since she didn't want him living alone in his bunker that was a long way away...also, she liked annoying him by waking him up with a loud song in the morning.

Anyway, as they walked into the Tree, Poppy looked around, seeing a few Trolls walking around but not her father.

"Dad?" she called out. Trolls walking by stopped and stared at them, mostly staring at Creek. The pack walked into the throne room and found King...Mr...uh, Peppy there singing merrily while organizing some papers that Poppy would probably have to tend to later.

"Dad?" Poppy called again as they approached him. Peppy turned to the sound of his daughter's voice.

"Ah! Poppy, back already I see-"

He paused in the middle of his sentence at the sight of the familiar purple troll.

"Creek!" he cried angrily in alarm.

"Dad, it's okay. I've decided that we should give Creek another chance to prove himself. And I was just wondering if it was a good idea," Poppy explained to her father, quietly.

"Well, I am no longer king, so I cannot make the decision. I'm sure you're going to make the right choice, but what shall we do if he misbehaves?"

"Branch suggested the cage," Poppy said with a noticeable smile. Peppy grinned slightly too.

"Poppy, as I have said, I no longer make the rules. It is up to you to make the choice. But I'm sure, whatever you choose will be fine." Peppy said to his daughter softly.

"Thanks, Dad," she said gratefully, giving him a hug to which he returned. Poppy walked back to her friends who were standing a small distance away.

"So, what did he say?" Biggie asked, curiously.

"He told me I shall do what I think is right. And I think the first thing Creek has to do is some community service."

It was a mild punishment, but Poppy wasn't the type to give harsh punishments to anybody. And honestly, community service would be torture for a Troll who wants nothing more than to party, dance and sing. Its boring, filthy and humiliating.

Branch couldn't help but roll his eyes at her light punishment. He felt like Creek deserved something more, but maybe he was just bias. Creek sighed in defeat.

"And what is my first chore?"

"Cleaning Barnabus' litter box," Poppy said smugly. Dang. Trolls were tiny compared to Gristle's lethal pet so cleaning up his mess was...yeah. Creek's eyes widened and he hung his head in defeat. This was gonna get messy.

* * *

 **Well, I am going to end that chapter there. So Creek is given a second chance by Poppy. Will he stay true to his word? Find out in future chapters!**

 **Community service, yes that does seem like a light punishment, but cleaning Barnabus' litter box...does he even have one? Imagine if you had to stand in a box full of croc poop, and the box was the size of a room and the poo was at least half the size of you. And you had to clean that up. Yeah, I would regret my actions. Also, keep in mind that Poppy isn't one to immediately give a harsh punishment to someone. I feel like the more she looks at Creek, the more she starts to see her old friend inside him again, so she wouldn't want to try to harm him.**

 **It may seem like the Snack Pack don't have much of a role in this yet, but remember this fic will be about a number of events happening after the movie, so one event or story might involve them a little more.**

 **Hope you enjoy, and I hope I can keep uploading frequently.**

 **For now,**

 **Peace.**


	4. Chapter 4 Reassurance

It was a couple of days after Creek was officially allowed back in the town. He hadn't shown any suspicious signs around the queen, which Poppy was glad about. Branch still kept a close eye on the purple troll and made sure he doesn't try anything near Poppy. As for the Snack Pack, they were still wary of Creek but tried their best not to show it and give him a chance.

Creek had been subjected to multiple community service chores, which turned out way messier than Branch initially thought. However, after the chores would be done, Creek would go back to his calm and _charming_ composure, especially around Poppy.

 _'He's probably just trying to get on her good side again…'_ Branch convinced himself. He had nothing to worry about. Still, he kept on thinking back when Creek mentioned, "what they once were". Now, Branch wasn't stupid. He knew Poppy maybe liked Creek before the whole adventure. He remembered when they were camping out, and Poppy took out the photos of the Pack. As she was saying goodnight to all of them, Branch was only slightly annoyed. Until it was Creek's turn.

 _"Goodnight, Cooper. Goodnight, Fuzzbert. Goodnight, Smidge. Goodnight, Satin. Goodnight, Chenille. Goodnight, Biggie. Goodnight, DJ. Goodnight, Guy Diamond…"_

 _Branch wondered if she was done already. Then he heard her giggle._

 _"Goodnight, Creek! Boop!" she said lovingly, as she 'booped' the nose of photo Creek. Ugh._

 _"And goodnight, Poppy!" Branch angrily interrupted. He didn't want to hear her flirting with a freaking photo._

Actually, in retrospect, she showed signs of liking Creek even before that. That's why Branch wasn't a big fan of the guy, to begin with. Also, Creek always made him look insane in comparison because of his wisdom. But Branch never considered that they were actually…a thing…

…

Is that why Poppy was so willing to forgive Creek? Does…does she still like him? After what he did? Did she want to get back with him? Was Branch not good enough?! Was he being paranoid?!

"PROBABLY," Branch shouted, accidentally answering his own question out loud. Poppy looked at him, startled. Branch suddenly remembered where he was in the present. He and Poppy were sitting on the beach together, looking at the waves to allow Poppy some time away from her duties.

"Are you okay?" Poppy asked, laughing a little.

"Yeah, yeah...sorry, I was just thinking," he replied.

"Uh oh," she joked. Branch gave her a small shove while smiling. They looked towards the waves again.

"So what were you thinking about?" Poppy asked, not keeping her eyes off the sea.

"Um...stuff. Can I ask you something?" Branch said, nervously. Poppy nodded.

"Creek mentioned something before...and I kind of always figured but I never...you never..." Branch stammered. Poppy looked at him weirdly. He took a deep breath to collect himself.

"Uh, so you never told me outright. Did you use to...like Creek?"

Poppy's eyes widened, and then she started playing with her ponytail nervously.

"Well, I...before the whole adventure...I..." she in turn stammered. "I may have liked Creek a little."

"I figured. I'll be honest, you weren't all that subtle."

"Yeah...our friends knew and I think...even Creek did? But we weren't officially together if that's what you were thinking."

"Did he not like you back?" Branch asked, feeling relief but also disbelief.

"I don't know. He never made it clear. But he was always able to charm me and he knew it, I guess...it's weird to think back on it."

Branch's suspicions were half-correct, unfortunately. And now that he thinks about it, Poppy must've been so heartbroken when Creek sold them out. Oh, he's gonna kill that little-

"Where did all this come from?" Poppy asked, curiously. Branch darted his eyes away, nervously.

"Nothing, it was just a thought," he mumbled incoherently. Poppy smirked.

"What? Are you _jealous_ or something?" she teased. He didn't have much of a reason to be jealous, but at the same time, he was paranoid. Poppy found it kind of funny because she knew that he had nothing to worry about.

"Pfft, no..." Branch said, before continuing. "Do you still like him?"

Poppy laughed. How was he supposed to take that as an answer?

"Don't you think we're a little too mature to have this conversation?" she asked him, chuckling.

"Oh yes, because when I think of mature, I think of you," he replied sarcastically, but also playfully. It was her turn to give him a light shove. He chuckled and then looked towards the ocean again. She was probably right, though. And here Branch was, worrying about _crushes_. But still...

"Is that why you forgave him so quick?" he asked. What he didn't expect was for Poppy to press her lips to his cheek. As she pulled away, his face started burning. Branch looked at her surprised. To be honest, they've never really kissed at all. Not even on the cheek. They pretty much liked to hug more.

"Quit worrying, you dork," she said, pink in the face- wait that doesn't really work. Er, _red_ in the face.

"U-uh..."

"I forgave Creek because...I did like him before, and always saw him in good light. That was until he sold us out. But the more I look at him, the more I hope that good is still in him. Not because I like him romantically anymore, I just believe if he was good before, then maybe he's still got it in him," Poppy explained, softly smiling.

"...I don't ever think I'll understand you."

"And yet you always do understand."

There was a moment of relaxing silence. The two trolls sat there, merely enjoying the other's company. Branch mentally laughed at his brief paranoia of Creek. When he was grey, he'd never admit to liking Poppy, and he'd never admit to being affected by her relationships. Never admit it out loud, anyway. But he may have written a poem or two (or more) about the subject...but that was nobody's business! Now that he's opened up a little more, he found himself admitting a lot of things, even when he tries to be stubborn. This girl changed his life around. And it only took, like 10-19 years...

Poppy stood up. She stretched and then looked at Branch.

"Welp. I think it's time we get back. I've got a lot of stuff to take care of..." she said, disappointedly.

He stood up too.

"Can't we just wait a little longer?" he asked. Poppy raised her eyebrows, then smirked.

"What is this? The crazy-prepared troll is requesting me to _procrastinate_?" she said in mocked shock. Branch rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"It just seems like you've been working pretty hard lately, Poppy. You've been pretty tired and jet-lagged. And I didn't even think that you running out of energy was possible!"

"Well, that's the downside of being queen, I guess. But don't worry, as soon as I finish up, I'll be back to my energetic self!" she said, encouragingly. Branch was still concerned.

"You need rest, Poppy. You find the work boring and you know it. At least let me help you, or something," Branch offered.

"Branch, it's fine. I got it all under control. And if it knocks me over, I'll just get back up again, am I right?" she said, childishly, giggling a little at her joke.

"Alright, if you really need to," Branch said, obviously realising that he can't really make her take time off her duties. She's being responsible, and that's good. It's just taking a toll on her health a little, though.

"Alright! Race you back!" she exclaimed, running back towards the town. Poppy seemed just as lively as ever. However, he's seen her doing her duties and there's a lot of them. He's been trying to help her out as best as he can, but still...

"Hey!" Branch exclaimed, realising that she had a good headstart, and proceeded to follow her playfully. He's just got to keep her happy.

* * *

 **And the chapter ends there. It wasn't much, but you know...gotta have filler chapters, sometimes. At least it gave you some insight on Poppy's relationship with Creek, how being queen is affecting her and also Branch's concern. Also, I threw in a load of Broppy in there, because why not?**

 **To the reviewer who pointed out a major flaw, I actually missed that scene or something. But don't worry I've got a plan! You know why? Because I'm crazy. Crazy prepared. Ha, you saw that one coming. But thank you for telling me, I'll be sure to address it later :D**

 **What'll happen next? Find out in the next chapter! I try to upload these as frequently as I can, so stay tuned!**

 **Signing out,**

 **Peace.**


	5. Chapter 5 Royal Duties

Poppy was tired out of her mind. She was at her new desk in the palace part of the Troll Tree, working on schedules, planned parties, and other Trolls' problems. She liked having responsibility and feeling important, but at the same time, she barely had time to do anything else. Poppy had to keep all the Trolls and Bergens happy, while making sure they don't get hurt in anyway. Do you know how hard it is to keep trolls out of trouble while not trying to sound like a party-pooper? Now she knows how Branch felt.

Poppy managed to get through her work, but barely. She was exhausted. The poor girl could barely keep her eyes open. Just one more thing to fix and then she can relax…

" _And if it knock, knocks me over…I…will…"_ she sang, trying to keep herself motivated. Unfortunately, she fell asleep with her head on the desk before she could even finish that last line.

Just a couple of hours wouldn't hurt.

She woke up to the sound of a familiar and soothing voice singing. Poppy also felt a something nudging her awake.

 _"…get back up again,"_ Branch half-sang, half-said, while nudging her arm. Poppy slowly opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. She was in the same place as she was when she fell asleep. She slowly rose her head from the table and yawned. It suddenly occurred to her that she had been drooling on her paperwork.

"Well, look who's awake," Branch teased. Poppy wiped away the drool on her face and on the papers before responding.

"Hey," she greeted, yawning again. She wanted to go back to sleep. Branch's smile faded into concern. Poppy looked at him, reading his mind.

"Go ahead. Say it," she surrendered.

"I told you so."

Poppy groaned.

"Poppy, you know you have to rest. And not on a desk, I mean actually rest."

"Yeah, I know. I just have to do this one last thing and then I'll sleep," she responded, tiredly looking at the last sheet of paper. Branch examined it.

"There were reports of wild pests and monsters coming into town?" he read aloud. Poppy nodded sleepily.

"Yeah. I was thinking of enforcing security, but I don't want to put any of the trolls in that position," explained Poppy, resting her head in her hand. Branch looked at her.

"Why not? Security sounds like a good idea," the survivalist offered her, putting the paper down. Poppy considered it, then countered.

"If I put any trolls to just stand at the outskirts of town just to wait for a monster to come by, then they might miss all the fun they could be potentially having. You know, parties? And I'm not even certain if they can fend off the monsters,"

"What about Bergen guards?"

"Eh…I think they deserve time off, too. Besides, I'd have to discuss that with Gristle."

"You sure are making this easy for yourself, aren't you?" Branch said sarcastically. Poppy remained silent and looked at the files again. The blue troll's face showed pity for her.

There was a silence.

"What kind of pests have been showing up?" he spoke up.

"I dunno. A lot of people saw these…mosquitoes? They said that they were really big. Way bigger than a troll and about half the size of an average Bergen," Poppy explained, shrugging. "And I think they chased the trolls more than they chased Bergens.

Branch hummed in thought.

"Anymore descriptions?"

Poppy took a look at the papers again.

"Vividly colored: purple, green and red patterns…" she read aloud.

"Mhm…" Branch urged.

"Had long 'stingy things'…and their wings were sleek and sharp," she continued, vaguely.

Branch slammed his hand on the table as he had a realization.

"Aha! I knew it!"

Poppy looked at him, curious and startled.

"What?"

"Those descriptions match a species called 'Giant Culicidae'. They are a rare species that migrates to this forest every spring and summer. Trolls are prey to a lot of species, and this is one of them. The Giant Culicidae are vividly coloured…just like everything else in this area, but they have specific patterns on them. They like to feast on a troll's blood and—"

"Wait, wait! How come we've never encountered one before? I mean, we lived in the same forest as the Bergens. And if they were attracted to Trolls, then why didn't they find our village?" Poppy asked, confused.

"Because, when we found the village 20 years ago, we happened to pick a spot that was surrounded by scented flowers called "Pixie Papaver". It's a pleasant scent to Trolls and Bergens, but it's deadly to the giant mosquitoes,"

"How do you know all of this, Branch?" Poppy asked him, impressed.

"As a survivalist troll, I need to know and study the strengths of _all_ our predators," he said, proudly and smugly. Poppy rolled her eyes, playfully.

"Poppy, what I think we should do, is plant some Pixie Papaver flowers all around Bergen Town. That will create a scented barrier that prevents the mosquitoes from coming," Branch told her, professionally. Poppy smiled as she wrote everything down on the piece file, hurriedly.

"DONE!" she cried as she slammed her head on the desk to get another nap.

"Uh…don't you want to sleep on your bed?" Branch asked. Poppy made a gesture that told him that she couldn't be bothered.

" _Poppy_."

"Fiiiine," she said sleepily, not getting her limp head off the desk. She raised her arms. "But you have to carry me. I can't feel my feet."

Branch sighed in exasperation. He walked over to the queen, and smirked. You know, he _could_ carry her bridal-style, ooooor….

Branch picked up her limp body and threw it over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, making Poppy laugh. He headed out of the office and towards her room. Poppy didn't mind this way. It was _way_ more fun, so she just let him do it like that as she was limp over his shoulder. Branch finally reached her room and put her down.

"Okay, I'm serious. Get some sleep," Branch said sternly, as Poppy climbed into bed.

"Okay, mom," she joked. Branch rolled his eyes and turned around to the door. Before he could leave, he heard Poppy's voice.

"Thanks for helping me, Branch. You're the best queen…" she said as she fell asleep. Branch chuckled and exited the room to allow her some peace.

The blue troll left the tree itself to check the time. The sun was still shining.

"Hey, Branch!" DJ Suki's voice called out. He turned and saw the Snack Pack approaching him.

"Where's Poppy?" Biggie asked.

"Oh, she's just resting. She had a lot of work done today. Actually, I need your help," Branch told them. He explained the plan with the flowers to the Pack as they listened attentively.

"So, will you help me? Assuming you guys don't have anything going on, of course."

"Yeah!" Satin said, happily. "Of course!" said Chenille.

Everyone else agreed, too. They have been pretty bothered and terrified by the insane bugs as well and they would've loved to get rid of them. Usually, Branch wasn't the one asking them for help, because he was so used to being socially awkward and so used to being independent. He was glad that he could at least socialize better rather than insult and scold the trolls like he used to.

Anything to help Poppy.

* * *

 **Well, there you go. Another _'not-plot related'_ chapter, I guess. Sorry, school's got me really busy ;-; ****Almost as busy as Poppy in this chapter, you could say :P ha, I wish I had a Branch or something...**

 **Anyway, this chapter gives some insight on Branch's character that might be important later on. I still need to progress the plot later, so here have this for now! Maybe wait a while for me to figure out how to progress the story :')**

 **Signing out for now,**

 **Bye!**


	6. Chapter 6 Give me a break

Poppy woke up to the sound of singing trolls outside the tree. It seems she woke up in the middle of the song.

 _"…I ran through the tree,_

 _Here I am for the first time,_

 _Look to my right,_

 _And I see the Bergen Town sign,_

 _This is all so crazy,_

 _Everybody seems so famous~"_

She yawned and blinked, sleepily. Then she shot up out of bed. Was she missing out on a musical number?! No, that can't happen! Musicals were always fun! She jumped up and ran through the tree as fast as she could and down the stairs. She could still hear the harmony of the trolls.

" _My tummy's turning and I'm feeling kinda homesick,_

 _Too much pressure and I'm nervous,_

 _That's when DJ Suki got on her turntables,_

 _And then Poppy's song was on…_

 _Then Poppy's song was on…_

 _And then Poppy's song was on!"_

Poppy reached the entrance of the tree and ran outside, determined to join in the chorus!

When she reached outside, she sang with all she could muster.

 _"SO I PUT MY…"_ Poppy shouted as she saw who was singing. She didn't even process what was happening at first. She just wanted to sing along.

 _"HAIR UP,_

 _THEY'RE PLAYIN' OUR SONG,_

 _THE BUTTERFLIES FLYING FREE!"_ The trolls sang. Poppy finally realised who exactly was singing. The Snack Pack plus other trolls were singing the song as they were…gardening? Poppy didn't question it. The flowers they were planting looked lovely. They all spotted her and beamed as they continued song.

 _"NODDING MY HEAD LIKE YEAH,_

 _MOVING MY HIPS LIKE YEAH,"_ The trolls sang as they continued working, while some trolls dropped work to dance. Poppy sang along and danced her heart out. As Poppy looked around, she noticed that the only troll who wasn't singing was Creek. He was planting a flower, but he didn't seem like he wanted to sing. She realised that a certain grumpy troll wasn't there too.

 _"GOT MY HAIR UP, THEY'RE PLAYING MY SONG,_

 _AND NOW I'M GONNA SING WITH GLEE,_

 _YEAH! THERE'S A PARTY IN OUR TROLL TREE!_

 _YEAH! THERE'S A PARTY IN OUR TROLL TREE!"_

The colourful trolls cheered as they concluded the song. Poppy laughed and cheered too, skipping over to her friends.

"Hey, guys! What are you doing?" Poppy asked, cheerfully. Her energy was now replenished and she was back to her giddy and energised self.

"Singing while we work, duh!" Guy Diamond replied, beaming.

"But what are you working on?"

"Ask him!" Suki said, smiling as she pointing over Poppy's shoulder. The pink troll turned around and saw Branch, covered in soil while pouring fertiliser on the newly planted flowers. He seemed very concentrated on his task, so she assumed he wasn't singing either.

Poppy bounced over to him.

"You look like you're busy," she commented. The blue troll looked up from his task and up at her. He smiled as he wiped the sweat off his forehead, accidentally smearing more soil on it. Poppy giggled

"Get a good sleep?" Branch asked, holding the sack of fertiliser in one arm.

"YEP! NOW I'M MORE ENERGIZED THAN EVER!" Poppy exclaimed, jumping happily. Branch rolled his eyes but grinned.

"So, what are you doing? I didn't know you gardened,"

"There's a lot about me you don't know," he replied rather smugly. But honestly, gardening wasn't his thing. "And this should help with your mosquito problem. We can plant more around Bergen Town itself, but for now, we're just planting it around the Troll Tree so we at least have a safe spot."

Poppy practically jumped on the poor boy as she tackled him in a hug. Branch took a couple of steps back to balance himself and then wrapped one arm around Poppy, returning the hug.

"Ooh! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Poppy cried happily, her grip on Branch getting tighter. "Now I can finally take a break!"

Poppy released her bear hug and turned to the Snack Pack. She ran to them and enveloped them in a hug, too.

"Thanks to all of you!"

They reciprocated easily.

"Well, we can't be havin' those nasty bugs flyin' around, can we?" Cooper said, happily.

They disbanded the hug. All of a sudden, Poppy gasped. Branch tensed in alarm.

"What's wrong?" he asked urgently.

"Do you know what this means?" Poppy said, excitement growing in each word she says. The Snack Pack face showed the same kind of anticipation and excitement as Poppy as if they were reading her mind. Branch, however, was clueless.

"What?"

"PARTY!" they all yelled happily. Branch shook his head and grinned. He should've known. Poppy hasn't partied in a while, and of course, she would take her first opportunity to have one.

"And you know what? Let's make it a slumber party! At my place! Tonight!" Poppy squealed. They all cheered happily like little children.

 _"CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES C'MON!"_

 _"IT'S A CELEBRATION!"_

…

"Yeah, I'm gonna go take a shower," Branch said, still covered in dirt and walking away.

Poppy went home and got working on the invitations right away.

"Okay, who's coming? Ah, pfft, my friends, of course," she mumbled to herself as she started scrapbooking the invitations.

"Let's see, one for Biggie, GD, Cooper, Satin, Chenille, DJ, Smidge, Fuzzbert…ooh! Also, one for Branch! Aaaand…." She listed as she was writing the names down on a piece of paper. She paused. Poppy wondered if…she should…but should she invite…would they be okay with….?

"A-and one for Creek. Gotta give him a chance to go to another party, I guess…" she murmured, reluctantly. She groaned. They probably wouldn't like it if Creek came, but he probably hasn't partied in a while.

 _'Probably doesn't deserve to, either,'_ she thought.

Eh…

As Poppy finished making invitations for the Pack, including Creek, she started on Branch's invitation. She gathered up a lot more material for this one.

"Gotta make it awesome so he'll finally agree to come this time!" Poppy said as she started cutting through the fabric.

 _'Wait a second. I don't need to, do I? Branch changed. He's coming to the party regardless of the kind of invitation I give him, right?"_

Despite her realisation, Poppy continued making Branch a special card. He deserves one! Hopefully, he won't destroy this one, though. She made a scrapbook cut-out of the truly-coloured Branch, using blue and green fabric instead of grey. She smiled at the small, felt figure. As Poppy continued making the invitation, her excitement grew. It went unsaid, but they kind of all knew that the party was going to be tonight. Well, except Creek, who wasn't even aware of the sleepover.

As she finished, Poppy squealed in delight. She put the invitations in a basket and set out to find her friends. Honestly, the invitations were kind of redundant, but heck, she wanted to make them. The queen ran out of her room all the way to Branch's. Poppy knocked on the door rapidly. She was basically bouncing in place, trying to contain her excitement.

The door flew open to reveal Branch. It seemed he had only just gotten out of the shower, seeing as his hair was wet and his top half was bare.

"Wow, that was quick," he commented blandly, seeing the basket of invitations in her hands. Poppy giggled, excitedly. She reached into the basket and pulled out his special invitation.

"Here!"

She presented it. The materials popped out to show a small felt figure of Branch and Poppy under a night sky. Judging by their pose, they seemed to be singing.

 _"I got a feeling_

 _Whoo hoo!_

 _That tonight's gonna be a good night!"_ a tiny voice in it sang. Poppy held it out temptingly. A spurt of glitter sprayed out of it and onto Branch's face, which was unfortunate since he just took a bath.

"Well?"

Branch took the invitation from her gently, examining it. Poppy immediately flinched. This was the part where he ruined her hard work, wasn't it?

"What's wrong?" Branch asked in a concerned voice, seeing her small movement. Poppy blinked and darted her eyes away, guiltily.

"U-uh, nothing, really. So are you coming?" Poppy asked, nervously expecting a harsh reaction. This didn't go unnoticed by Branch. His face softened as he realised how his old routine of crushing her invitations was the norm for her. Geez…

"You thought I wasn't going to go?" Branch asked, smirking slightly. Poppy's eyes widened slightly as her freckles shimmered when she beamed.

"You're coming?" Poppy asked for clarification. Branch nodded while wiping the glitter off his face. He was going to go regardless. Poppy enveloped him in a quick hug and then bounced a couple feet away.

"Come on! Let's find everyone else!" she cheered happily, darting off. Branch quickly closed his door and followed the queen, realising that he didn't have much of a choice.

They went over to each of the Pack's pods. First to Biggie.

"Mr Dinkles is going to love it!"

Then to Cooper.

"Alright, It's gonna be CRAZY!"

Then to Suki's pod. Coincidentally, Guy Diamond was there too, as he and Suki were hanging out for whatever reason.

"Thanks! It's going to be awesome!"

"Bring on the GLITTER!"

Then to Satin and Chenille.

"Do you have pyjamas?"

"Do you need pyjamas?"

"WE SHOULD MAKE SOME!"

"MATCHING ONES!"t

Then to Smidge, who they found was lifting some weights at the roots of the tree.

"Oh my god!"

Then over to Fuzzbert, who was taking a walk outside.

"…"

To be honest, Branch didn't understand everyone's excited replies since they pretty much established the party earlier that day, but he'll probably never understand those trolls' antics.

Then finally to Creek, who they also found outside. Branch reluctantly followed Poppy to Creek. He didn't want to believe that she was inviting that son of a gun to her slumber party.

"Creek," Poppy called out to him. The purple troll turned towards them. When he saw Poppy, his expression split into a calm grin.

"Hello there, Poppy," he greeted her, giving a quick wink that made Branch fume slightly.

"Branch," Creek greeted him curtly with less of a charm. Poppy rolled her eyes slightly, then regained her cheery composure.

"Creek, since you haven't been to a party lately, you are invited to join our slumber party tonight. It won't be big, just the Pack," Poppy said, kindly handing him the invitation. Branch, on the other hand, was still glaring at Creek.

The once-wise troll examined the invitation.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline, Poppy. I can't go tonight."

"Why not?" Branch asked suspiciously, crossing his arms and deepening the glare.

"I've got a couple of…errands I must tend to," Creek replied, his mouth in a slight frown as he looked at Branch with disapproval. Branch arched his eyebrow. It's not that he wanted Creek to join, the way Creek said 'errands' was just shady.

"Well, we tried," Poppy said, not sounding upset at all. "C'mon Branch! Let's get it ready!"

She dashed towards the tree. Branch made to follow her but gave Creek one more suspicious glare before he left. Something was going on with that guy.

 **Well, that's it for that chapter! My plans for this fic is to have several different events like I said before. However, Creek's plot will stretch over those events, you know what I mean?**

 **So thank you if you have been following this story so far! Just know that there is plenty more to come in the future!**

 **Once again, signing off.**

 **Bye!**

 **(P.S. did they remove the border line tool in doc manager?)**


	7. Chapter 7 Slumber Party

**Disclaimer: I'll be changing this fanfic to T rated. That goes for this chapter too. T for kissing and Trolls bringing sexy back.**

Pillows and sleeping bags were arranged in a circle on the floor of Poppy's room. Being a queen whose room was inside the actual tree, it was quite larger than a lot of pods hanging from the tree's branches. Poppy skipped about excitedly, preparing the slumber party. She made everything as cosy as she could, pillows, warm blankets, stuffed toys were placed on the ground, the lamps were lit on just the right level, and Poppy was already dressed in her pj's.

"Alright! Everything's going to be awesome! This'll be the best slumber party EVER!" she told herself happily, as she looked towards the door.

In a matter of minutes, there was a knock on the door. Poppy sped over to it and threw it open. Sure enough, her friends were there.

"POPPY!" most of them cried happily, throwing their arms in the air.

Poppy returned the favour and they all hugged. Poppy noticed Branch standing out of the group hug, wearing an uncomfortable smile. The guy must still feel uncomfortable with group hugs, aww!

Poppy reached over and pulled him in, earning a yelp of surprise from the blue troll. They all hugged happily, and eventually, Branch reciprocated.

They disbanded and Poppy smiled excitedly.

"You guys ready to party?!"

"YOU KNOW IT!"

First, they all got dressed into their pyjamas using Poppy's bathroom, except for Poppy, who already wore hers, Cooper, who just took off his hat, Fuzzbert and Guy Diamond, who the twins insisted on wearing a onesie they made for him, but he declined saying that it would just cover up the glamour.

The rest wore warm, fluffy pyjamas that Satin and Chenille made…well, except for Branch, who settled for just wearing brown pants and a green long-sleeve. He wasn't big on super cute sleepwear.

"What should we do first?" Poppy asked, clasping her hands together. Answers were spilled out everywhere.

"Food!"

"Games!"

"Karaoke!"

"YEAH!" they all agreed, cheering. Poppy hopped up and got her karaoke machine out, because it was pretty much a requirement for trolls, right? She pulled it in front of them and then turned it on.

"Okay…who's going first?" she asked holding the mic out.

"Ooh! Ooh! ME!" Guy Diamond volunteered, waving his hand in the air wildly. Poppy threw him the mic.

"Go for it, GD!" she cheered as she sat down next to Branch. Guy Diamond grabbed the mic and held another one out to DJ.

"Come on, Suki!"

DJ Suki took it, smirking and stood up. They approached the machine and typed something into it. The sound of music popped up.

 _"Tonight,_

 _I just want to take you higher_

 _Throw your hands up in the sky,_

 _Let's set this party off right!"_ they sang, GD shining bright.

 _"Players, put your shiny hair up to the moon,_

 _Girls, what y'all trying to do?_

 _24 karat magic in the air,_

 _Head to toe soul player,_

 _Uh, look out!_

 _Pop pop, it's show time! (Show time)_

 _Show time (show time)_

 _Guess who's back again,_

 _Oh, they don't know? (Go on tell 'em)_

 _Oh, they don't know? (Go on tell 'em)_

 _I bet they know soon as we walk in (Showin' up)_

 _Wearing glitter coats (ya)_

 _Designer coats (ya)_

 _Fashion Twins' finest shoes (whoop, whoop!)_

 _Don't look too hard_

 _Might hurt ya'self_

 _Known to give the colour grey the blues_

 _24 karat magic, magic…!"_ the pair of trolls sang, glamorously.

Everyone cheered and applauded as the song came to an end. Guy Diamond and DJ Suki both bowed, while also giggling to each other. They sat back down, grinning like children.

"Who's next?"

"US!" The twins called out, standing up. They grabbed hold of the mics and typed in the number of their song. A familiar beat started to play.

 _"I got this feeling…"_

(A/N: Don't think "inside my bones", Branch.)

 _"…on the summer say when you were gone,_

 _I crash my car into the bridge, I watched, I let it burn!_

 _I threw your stuff into a bag and pushed it down the stairs,_

 _I crash my car into the bridge,_

 _I don't care!"_ They sang, dancing. The others started to dance like crazy, too. They all laughed and giggled while jumping around like children.

 _"I love it!_

 _I don't care!_

 _I love it!_

 _You're on a different road_

 _I'm in the Milky Way,_

 _You want me down on Earth_

 _But I am up in space,_

 _You're so damn hard to please,_

 _We gotta kill the switch,_

 _You're from the 70's,_

 _But I'm a 90's chick!"_ Satin and Chenille sang with glee. Guy Diamond shimmered brighter, making him a walking disco ball. Everyone cheered happily. As the Fashion Twins ended their song, their friends applauded.

"Who's up?" Satin asked, putting down the mic with her sister and sitting back down. Cooper confidently stood up and so did Biggie. Branch laughed. You know, he was really getting used to partying. And who knew? Slumber parties were actually…fun!

Cooper and Biggie took hold of the mics after they put in the song's number.

…

In other words, they started singing "Barbie Troll". Very fabulously, mind you. Everyone laughed and cheered as Cooper and Biggie sang in a silly fashion. Poppy giggled as she looked at Branch's face. It looked somewhat amused but also traumatised by what he was witnessing.

 _("Come on, Barbie let's go party,_

 _Ah ah ah yeah!")_

As the song ended, Cooper and Biggie got an enthusiastic applause.

"AW YEAH, WE KILLED IT!" Cooper hollered.

"Wasn't that fun, Mr Dinkles?" Biggie asked his pet, giddily.

"Pew!"

"I'M NEXT!" Smidge cried happily in her deep voice. She grabbed one of the mics, and aggressively typed in a number.

As the music started, the small troll began singing.

" _I WAS CAUGHT  
IN THE MIDDLE OF A RAILROAD TRACK" _she sang.

 _"Thunder!"_ everyone echoed.

 _"I looked round  
And I knew there was no turning back (thunder)  
My mind raced  
And I thought what could I do (thunder)  
And I knew  
There was no help, no help from you (thunder)"_

 _"Sound of the drums  
Beatin' in my heart  
The thunder of guns  
Tore me apart  
You've been thunderstruck"_

 _"Rode down the highway  
Broke the limit, we hit the town  
Went to the village, Troll village  
And we had some fun  
We met some trolls  
Some dancers who had a good time  
Broke all the rules, played all the fools  
Yeah, yeah, they, they, they blew our minds"_

 _"Yeah, we were up on the trees!  
Play the song again please?  
Yeah the trolls here were too kind  
You've been thunderstruck, thunderstruck  
Yeah yeah yeah, thunderstruck_

 _Yeah  
Oh, thunderstruck, yeah"_

She concluded the song in an extreme way as everyone cheered. Clearly, Smidge was the most superior singer in the whole village.

"THAT'S RIGHT! I'LL BE HERE ALL NIGHT!" she cried as she dropped the mic by her side, earning a little bit of feedback.

"WHO'S NEXT?"

"POPPY! BRANCH! POPPY! BRANCH!" the pack all chanted, looking at the two trolls. Poppy jumped up and grabbed Branch with him. Branch followed her and accepted the mic. He liked singing, so why not? Poppy bounced excitedly as she approached the machine.

"Which song do you want to do?" Poppy asked enthusiastically. Branch shrugged, gesturing for her to choose.

Poppy beamed and typed in a number.

Immediately, the music appeared. Branch recognised the song and flushed slightly, but he knew his parts.

 _"Yellow Diamonds in the light,"_ he sang, looking at Poppy.

 _"And we're standing side by side,"_ she continued.

 _"As your shadow crosses mine,"_

 _"What it takes to come alive!"_ they both sang in harmony.

 _"It's the way that I'm feeling_

 _I just can't deny,_

 _But I've gotta let it go_

 _We found love in a hopeless place_

 _We found love in a hopeless place_

 _We found love in a hopeless place_

 _We found love in a hopeless place,"_ The queen and the survivalist sang in unison, lost in song.

Everyone cheered happily and smiled warmly at the chemistry between the two. To think they used to tease Poppy about liking Creek. At the time, it made sense. Poppy liked Creek, and Creek liked Poppy. The purple troll was the brave and calm hero who could keep his cool and always make Poppy feel better. Branch used to be the grey, grumpy outcast who lived in fear of the Bergens. Always ruining their parties and scolding Poppy, making her feel bad. Now they realise why he did it. He didn't want to lose anyone else. He _did_ care about her. He had something terrible happen to him and now look where he is. They were so proud.

 _"Shine a light through an open door,_

 _Love and life I will divide,_

 _Turn away 'cause I need you more,_

 _Feel the heartbeat in my mind!_

 _It's the way that I'm feeling_

 _I just can't deny_

 _But I've gotta let it go!_

 _We found love in a hopeless place,_

 _We found love in a hopeless place,_

 _We found love in a hopeless place,_

 _We found love in a hopeless place…"_ they ended together.

The Pack all cheered louder for them. Poppy giggled as Branch made a mock bow.

"Well, I think that's enough karaoke," Poppy said, panting. " _For now,"_ she added slyly.

"I don't know about ya'll, but I'm starvin'!" Cooper said enthusiastically. They all beamed.

"FOOD!" Smidge cried.

"I prepared some cookies and hot chocolate in the kitchen! Let's bring it all back here and play a game while we eat!" Poppy suggested.

"What game, though?" Branch asked.

"Truth or Dare?" Poppy offered. Everyone except Branch nodded eagerly. He's heard of that game. And he knows nothing good can come out of it. Seeing his face, Poppy chuckled in a mischievous fashion to scare him even more as she left the room. Branch widened his eyes and started sweating.

"Biggie, can you help me get everything?" Poppy called from outside. Biggie put his pet down and followed her. As they waited, everyone started making small talk. Branch looked out a small window, watching the forest.

He blinked.

Branch thought he was imagining at first, but he could've sworn that a familiar purple troll with green hair was sneaking through the trees of the forest.

"What…?" Branch whispered, unable to comprehend what he just saw. Was that Creek? Where was he going? And why did he look like he didn't want anyone to see him? Were Branch's earlier suspicions correct? Or was Creek running away…?

"Alright everybody! Food's here!" Poppy said as she and Biggie entered the room, a giant plate of cookies and several mugs of hot chocolate and warm milk in their arms. Branch reluctantly left his position at the window and joined the circle trolls.

"That looks like diabetes on a plate," he commented blandly, seeing the mountain of chocolate chip cookies. But honestly…they looked really nice.

"Come on! Try it!" Poppy encouraged as everyone got a mug and started reaching for a cookie.

Trying not to look _too_ enthusiastic, Branch got some too. Dang, they were REALLY good.

"Okay! Truth or Dare? Who wants to go first?" Poppy asked, munching on a cookie.

"I will," Suki said.

"GD, Truth or Dare?" she asked the glittery troll.

"Dare! I'm an open-minded being, thanks," Guy Diamond responded in a fake-smug look.

"I dare you to wear the twins' onesie that they made for you for the next hour," she said, smirking. Guy's face dropped slightly.

"You set that up!" he exclaimed at the beaming twins. When Suki looked at him, he sighed in defeat.

"Fine," he concluded as the twins raced to get the pyjama. "I'm just saying, it's your loss when you don't get glitter bombs for the next hour!"

Soon he was wearing it. And he didn't look bad, either.

"Not bad at all. I can make anything work!" he said striking a confident pose in the onesie. Satin and Chenille looked proud of their work.

"Okie dokes. Satin! Truth or Dare?" Guy Diamond asked.

"Eh, truth."

"Okay. If…if the only way you could save Chenille was to wear socks with sandals WITH a polka dot dress…that was bright purple and poopy brown…would you?" he asked, thinking of things fashion related. He may be naked all the time, but he knew when to draw the line.

"Eww!" Chenille cried in horror.

"But that would never happen," the fashionista said, dodging the question.

"Yeah, but I said 'if'"

"But that would never happen,"

"Answer the question, dangit!"

"Fine!" she said, cringing. "Yes, of course! Anything to save her. Even if it m-meant…"

Satin and Chenille shared a scared hug, reading each other's mind. Branch couldn't help but roll his eyes. The others shared a laugh before the twins separated and Satin cleared her throat.

"Cooper. Truth or Dare?"

"DARE, DUH!"

Satin and Chenille whispered to each other about his dare and then looked at him with sly faces.

"I dare you…to make a rap about one of us!"

Light dare. And Cooper loved to rap.

"Aight. This one goes to the Fuzz-man!" he hollered. Fuzzbert gave a hop in response.

 _"I can't tell what he really is_

 _I can only see what he looks like_

 _And I know he don't talk, but he's got pipes,_

 _You can sing, sing with us, all day 'n night_

 _As long as his hair's still bright, he is full of might!_

Okay, that's all I'm gonna do," Cooper said sitting down. He ran out of rhymes. The others started laughing and applauding at the wonderful performance. The one who was laughing the most was Branch, surprisingly. Cooper noticed this, then smirked.

"Branch, Truth or Dare?"

"Uh…dare," he replied. He was NOT ready to reveal any more secrets. Besides, the dares so far have been pretty light.

Cooper whispered to Biggie and Guy Diamond, who both stifled their laughs and stood up.

"W-what?" Branch asked, nervously.

Cooper whispered the dare in Branch's ear so Poppy couldn't hear. She tilted her head to the side, confused. A look of shock formed on Branch's face.

"No!" he cried as Guy Diamond typed something into the karaoke machine.

"C'mon, Branch!"

"nO! NOt like this! NoT IN FROnT OF HER!" Branch's horrified voice squeaked and broke several times. Poppy was really confused now. It looked like he was just going to sing. What was so bad?

"Don't worry, Branch! We'll sing with you!" Biggie said encouragingly, putting ear muffs over Mr Dinkles non-existent ears. Guy Diamond giggled and hit enter on the karaoke machine as Cooper dragged Branch up. The song's music popped up.

"Branch, just do it!" Poppy said, eager to hear the song. Branch hung his head and brought the mic to his mouth as he sang.

 _"I'm bringing sexy back…"_ he sang unenthusiastically, flushing. The other boys sang behind him, laughing as they held mics too. Poppy's eyes widened before she started chuckling. Branch avoided the queen's eyes at any costs. He hoped this wouldn't come back to bite him in the butt.

 _"Them other trolls_

 _Don't know how to act…_

 _I think your special,_

 _What's behind your back?_

 _So turn around,_

 _And I'll pick up the slack."_ Branch wore an uncomfortable look on his face as he blushed harder. Why? Why this song? Darn his voice!

 _"Take 'em to the bridge!"_ Cooper said, too enthusiastic.

 _"D-dirty mehhh..._

 _You see these shackles?_

 _Baby, I'm your slave…_

 _I'll let you whip me if I misbehave—_ okay, no. I'm done!" he said dropping the mic and sitting down to cover his flushed face with his hands. The others laughed and cancelled the song, sitting back down.

Poppy stifled a laugh and gave Branch a hug to make him feel better.

"I hate this game," he said, deadpanned, lifting his face up to reveal his blush. Poppy giggled.

"Poppy, Truth or Dare?" he ended up asking.

"Truth."

"Um…"

He didn't want to ask something too personal in front of anybody. Hmm…who was her crush? No, no that's stupid. He wasn't good at this stuff, okay? But what?

"Uh…what's your…favourite song?" Branch ended up saying, lamely. Despite its blandness, Poppy took it seriously and smiled.

"Hmm…I'm not sure…to be honest, I like so many! But I haven't found a favourite if you know what I mean," she finally answered. There was just so many songs to choose from!

"Poppy, come on. Don't make this a repeat of Troll 2 Troll,"

"Fine. Well if I have to pick one, it would have to be True Colours!" she said, winking. Of course, everyone knew why.

"Alright, Biggie, truth or dare?" she asked. The big troll hugged his pet close.

"Truth,"

"Is there anyone you love more than Mr Dinkles?"

"No, I don't think so. He's my top priority," Biggie replied, sweetly, nuzzling the worm.

"Pew!"

Everyone awed and cooed.

"Erm, Chenille. Truth or Dare?" the big troll asked.

"Dare."

"I dare you…to...uh..."

Biggie looked to Cooper for help.

"To chug a whole jug of fruit punch!" he cried, excitedly. Chenille cringed thinking about it, but nodded her head. A dare was a dare. Poppy raced to the kitchen and brought back a jug of watermelon punch. Chenille took it and brought it up to her lips, timidly.

Everyone waited in anticipation.

She then started to gulp it all down.

"CHUG! CHUG! CHUG! CHUG!" They all chanted excitedly. The punch was drained from the container quickly. When she was done, she set the jug down and brought her hands up to the air in victory. Everyone cheered loudly!

"DJ, truth or dare?" Chenille asked, wiping off any punch on her face.

"I'll go with truth, I guess," Suki said, shrugging. Chenille and Satin smirked slyly.

"Okay, then! So, if you had to go on a date with any guy in this room, who would it be?" the blue fashionista asked, grinning.

Suki and all the boys widened their eyes as Poppy and Smidge "ooh"ed.

The DJ looked at each male. Cooper? Mostly likely not. Biggie? No, he was like a big-little brother! Fuzzbert? Yeah, no. Branch? Psh, no. She couldn't do that to Poppy.

She sighed, then shrugged.

"Guy, I guess. We're pretty much besties, anyway so it's not that big of a deal," she answered darting her eyes away from the glitter troll. Guy smiled at his friend.

"I don't blame ya! I _am_ irresistible!" he teased. She rolled her eyes playfully as she punched his arm, making him laugh. He gasped.

"It's been an hour!"

Guy Diamond ripped off his onesie with no shame, his glittery body shining bright.

"GLITTER!"

Poppy looked out the window towards the sky. It was already dark. The stars shined brightly.

"What do you day we sing one more song and then we go to sleep?" Poppy asked. Of course, no one ever sleeps on a sleepover.

"YEAH!"

"Hey, let's not use the karaoke machine this time. I kinda wanna try acapella," DJ said. "I don't really care about the song, though."

Poppy smiled.

"Okay then! Everyone? What song?"

"THUNDERSTRUCK!" Smidge cried.

"Can't Stop the Feeling…?" Branch suggested.

"Diamonds in the Sky?" Guy Diamond offered.

"Rather Be?" Biggie asked. Everyone seemed to like that idea. That was a calm song that everyone knew how to acapella to. Is that a verb?

The snack pack started singing the instrumental with their voices. It was a sweet harmony, and you could hear it all blend together, even with GD's auto-tune voice and Smidge's deep and gruff one.

 _"We're a thousand miles from comfort,_

 _We have travelled land and sea,_

 _But as long as you are with me,_

 _There's no place I'd rather be…"_ Poppy sang beautifully, closing her eyes while everyone continued with the music.

 _"I could wait forever,_

 _Exulted in the scene,_

 _As long as I am with you,_

 _My heart continues to beat…"_ the familiar sound of Branch's voice sang. Poppy smiled happily. She was so glad he was finally a part of the community. I mean, he always was, but he always liked to seclude himself. Now, he's opened up and he's one of the best things to ever happen to her. She wouldn't have wanted things to turn out any other way.

 _"With every step you take,_

 _Kyoto to the Bay,_

 _Strolling so casually…"_ she sang.

 _"We're different and the same,_

 _Gave you another name,_

 _Switch up the batteries…"_ the blue…green…teal troll sang along.

 _"If you gave me a chance,_

 _I would take it,_

 _It's a shot in the dark,_

 _But I'll make it,_

 _Know with all of your heart,_

 _You can't shame me,_

 _When I am with you,_

 _There's no place I'd rather be!"_

 _"No no, no, no! No place I'd rather be!_

 _No, no, no, no! No place I'd rather be!_

 _No, no, no, no! No place I'd rather be!"_ Some of the pack joined in the chorus while some continued make the music with their voices. It was all beautiful.

 _"When I am with you,_

 _There's no place I'd rather be…"_ Poppy and Branch ended. Everyone cheered and laughed as they finished the song. No words needed, everyone started climbing into their sleeping bags. Branch wore a smile on his face. Parties weren't so bad after all. It took minutes, maybe even hours for everyone to finally fall asleep.

Poppy opened her eyes in the middle of the night. She thought she heard the shuffle of feet. She sleepily and quietly sat up and looked toward the window to see if it was morning yet. The problem was, there was already a figure sitting by it. She knew that blue hair anywhere.

The pink troll silently stood up and walked over to Branch, being careful to avoid stepping on anybody. She sat next to him and looked out the window. Branch turned his gaze to her.

"What are you doing?" she asked quietly, careful not to be too loud.

"Just…thinking…" he answered. Poppy didn't question him. Branch always liked to have some time to himself, but she figured she'd should sit with him this time. He didn't object.

They sat in relaxing silence, looking towards the starry sky.

"Do…do you want to continue the game?" Poppy asked.

"What?" Branch replied, confused.

"Truth or dare?"

"Poppy—"

"Truth or dare?" she asked again. He sighed.

"Truth," he surrendered.

"Earlier you asked me what my favourite song was. Can I ask you what your least favourite is?"

"…dare…"

" _Branch._ **"**

"Dare."

"Fine. I dare you to answer my question," she concluded, sternly. Branch closed his eyes and hung his head down a bit.

"Total Eclipse of a Heart…" he answered quietly. Poppy wore a look of remorse and pity.

"Oh, Branch…"

"It's not that it's a bad song at all…it's just…" he said, his voice growing quieter.

"It's okay. I understand," she said, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. He gave her a soft smile.

"Truth or dare?" he asked her.

"Truth."

"How are you so trusting of Creek? How can you think he's still good?" he asked, looking towards the forest. After everything that coward has done, after he betrayed them, after he teased Branch when they were kids…not that Poppy knew about that. Creek just thought he was above everyone…

"I don't _think_ he's still good, I _hope_ he's still good. And that's enough," she quoted herself.

Branch rolled his eyes softly.

"Truth or dare?"

"Truth," he answered.

"Are willing to try to forgive him?"

"Uh…if that's what you want…I personally don't, but if you do then I'll try holding back my suspicions," he said…he half-lied. Branch will never forgive Creek completely. He looked into Poppy's shining eyes softly. He wondered what would've happened if he hadn't gone to save Poppy from the spiders. She'd be dead. He wouldn't have known. Creek would've still betrayed the trolls and Chef would've succeeded in bringing Trollstice back. Bergen Town would only be happy for a while because all the trolls would've been eaten. Branch would've been too devastated when he'd realise Poppy was dead to do anything about it. She was the only thing that made him happy back then and even now. If she was gone…

"Truth or dare?" he asked, his voice barely audible as he looked at her. She had a misty look on her face. Branch hadn't noticed that he had been staring at her and that she had been doing the same.

"Truth," she answered just as quietly.

"What are we?" he asked, genuinely. After the adventure, were they together? Were they just best friends? What? They never stated officially that they were together…but at the same time, they knew they were more than just friends. Branch was new to this stuff. He didn't know what it all meant.

Poppy was silent.

"Truth or dare?" she asked. But she didn't answer the question?

"D-dare…?"

"I dare you to close your eyes," she said, softly. Branch did as he was told. He didn't know what to expect, but at the same time, he did. This was all too confusing.

Branch felt his heart leap as he felt a pair of lips press against his own. Whoa...Poppy was...that answered his question, he supposed.

However, after a second, the intimate moment was interrupted before Branch could even react.

"HAHA! I KNEW IT! EVERYONE PAY UP!"

The sound of Cooper's voice brought them back to reality. Branch and Poppy sprung apart and looked at Cooper, only to find the Snack Pack looking at them. They were very much awake. How long have they been standing there?!

The Pack shushed the giraffe-like troll, only to find that they've already been discovered watching. The pair looked at them all, shocked.

"Cooper, you imbecile!" Satin cried, angrily. Cooper laughed nervously. He had gotten them caught.

"W-Welp. You guys still have to pay up! I knew it would happen tonight!" he cheered happily as the Pack reluctantly payed him money.

Branch and Poppy were extremely confused.

"H-how long were you guys watching?!" Poppy asked, mortified.

"And why are you paying him money?" Branch added, with a face full of blush.

"Oh, Cooper bet you were going to kiss during the sleepover. You couldn't have waited 'till your first date?" Suki deadpanned, upset that she had to pay.

"SERIOUSLY?!" Branch exclaimed at the top of his lungs. GEEZ, CAN'T TROLLS GET SOME PRIVACY?

 **That's the end of that chapter! Ssh...I know the dares are lame and so are the questions but shh...**

 **So the Snack Pack have a fun sleepover to let Poppy relax finally! Branch thought he saw Creek sneaking away and BROPPY. Like I said before, I'm changing this fic to T just because of this chapter and future ones. Don't worry, it will never delve into M. *Shudders***

 **Also some DJDiamond in this chapter because I'm not sure whether I ship it or not. I think it's agreed that they could be besties so just think of them like that for now. They're really cute, I won't lie.**

 **Okay guys, I am literally procrastinating my maths assessment to write this so I hope you enjoyed reading! More chapters coming soon.**

 **Signing out,**

 **Bye!**


	8. Chapter 8 Spies and Lies

It had been a week since the sleepover. Ever since, Branch had been keeping a very close eye on Creek. And I mean a _very_ close eye. The thing was, Creek hadn't run away. The day after the slumber party, he was still in town, even though Branch could've sworn he saw him running into the forest. It was strange. Why would Creek sneak into the forest, but still be here like nothing happened? Branch hadn't said anything about it because from past experiences, he knew the wise troll could make him sound crazy and deny it. There wasn't much point yet, but as soon as Branch gets some solid evidence of Creek doing something, he'll be sure to notify Poppy. What Creek was plotting on...Branch had no idea. He didn't even know if Creek was plotting anything at all. But he has a gut feeling...

"Hey Branch!"

Branch jumped as a loud voice bellowed in his sensitive ears. He quickly turned around and saw Cooper, Biggie and Guy Diamond looking at him.

"What are you doing?" Biggie asked, curiously. They saw Branch hiding behind the wall of a Bergen's house. He quickly made shushing noises and gestured for them to duck behind the wall.

"Yeah, seriously, what are you doing?" Guy Diamond asked as well, confused by Branch's behaviour. Branch looked around the corner and looked in the direction of the Troll Tree.

"Important stuff," Branch responded, blandly. They gave a confused look. The survivalist sighed. Obviously, they weren't going to let it go.

"Okay, okay. I'm spying on Creek," he gave in, looking at their flabbergasted faces.

"...why?" Biggie said, awkwardly.

"Creepy," Guy said, chuckling.

"No, no, not like that. I'm just making sure he isn't up to anything..." he told them, while they all peered around the corner of the wall. Creek could be seen talking to Poppy at the foot of the tree. Branch narrowed his eyes. He wasn't quite sure how to tell them that he saw Creek running into the forest. Like, is that considered suspicious? Yes! In Branch's eyes at least. But he wasn't quite sure if they would understand.

"Mhm," Guy Diamond said, smirking at the others. The teal troll arched an eyebrow as Cooper and Biggie started giggling quietly.

"What?"

"Have you actually seen Creek doing anything suspicious?"

Branch thought. Well...the only suspicious thing he saw Creek do in the past week was the forest thing, but was that even suspicious? Branch liked to take relaxing walks in the forest too. Although...Creek looked like he really didn't want to be followed. But does anyone? UGH!

"W-well...no..?"

"Mhm, are you sure you aren't just paranoid?"

That got Branch. Paranoid?!

"Seriously?" Branch cried, throwing his arms in the air. He thought they already knew him better than that. He wasn't being paranoid, he was being cautious. He was being cautious his whole life.

"Or perhaps you're just being protective," Biggie offered. Protective? While he thinks that's a better word, what did they mean?

"Over who?"

"Yo' girl, duh," Cooper said like it was obvious. Branch shook his head and looked over at Creek and Poppy again. He wasn't being over-protective of her. The teal troll legitimately saw Creek looking suspicious in his eyes and that's why he's keeping an eye out. It just happened to be a coincidence that he started doing it after he and Poppy...you know, kissed. While indeed, he does want Poppy to be safe from that creep, Branch isn't doing it out of spite, jealousy or hatred towards Creek. He just wants to make sure everyone is saf- HEY, HE JUST SAW CREEK TOUCH POPPY'S CHEEK. THAT LITTLE-!

Oh, wait. Poppy took a few steps backwards away from Creek. Yay.

"See? Ya don't have anything to worry about. Poppy can take care of herself," Cooper assured him, as they all looked at the scene. Branch rolled his eyes.

"I'm telling you guys, I'm not being paranoid or protective over Poppy. I know she's fine. I just want to make sure Creek doesn't try anything bad or whatever to anyone. Judging by how easy it was for him to betray us, I don't like the sound of his morals," Branch explained to the trolls. Well, he was a little paranoid for Poppy's safety. How could he not be? He was kind of like that his whole life.

"Can you guys just keep an eye out for any suspicious behaviour?" Branch asked them.

They all nodded.

"If it'll help you sleep at night, Mr. Paranoid," Guy Diamond said, saluting. Branch didn't appreciate the nickname.

"In the meantime, why don't you take a break from spying on Creek?" Biggie suggested. If Branch wasn't paranoid, he didn't know what Branch was.

"Yeah, you know what? I will," Branch said smiling.

"There ya go, buddy!" Cooper encouraged. They all walked out of the hiding spot.

"Well, we have to go. Don't go stalking trolls, okay?" GD joked as they all left, waving.

"Don't worry. See ya guys," Branch said waving.

...

Are they gone yet? Yes? OKAY OFF TO THE BUNKER!

Yes, Branch built a bunker in the forest near Bergen Town. In case of emergencies, you know? It's not as developed as his old one, but it's purely for emergencies, storing things that don't fit in his room, and plans. Branch doesn't intend to live in it, but you can never be sure.

When he reached inside, he immediately went to his wall of plans and conspiracies. Yes, he has one. Don't question him. On it was scribbled pictures of predators, escape plans to evacuate the kingdom, plans for absurd scenarios, plans for his futu- I mean plans for the future of the town, and more. There were also pictures of various things that were connected together by string, which were conspiracies, and also notes. Crazy prepared.

He looked at one particular conspiracy. Creek. Ugh, he hadn't figured it out and it was driving him insane. The survivalist wasn't getting anywhere. Maybe...he was being too obsessed with getting the dirt on Creek. He hopes it will never delve into framing Creek.

Branch sighed and looked down at the desk. They were right. He needs to stop being so paranoid. Branch saw his scrapbook lying on top of the table surface.

He smiled. After the adventure, Poppy has taught him how to scrapbook. He tried it out, and he's pretty good if I do say so myself.

Branch took the notebook in his hands and opened it. He only tried a couple of events to scrapbook. Like, when he turned grey, when he and Poppy spent Christmas together, when he so heroically saved her from spiders (because that was when his adventure started), when he and Poppy sang True Colours, him and Poppy hugging after Poppy was crowned and when he saw Creek and Chef get eaten by a huge monster. It made him laugh until his sides hurt. Also, he has a page of his grandma. They all looked pretty good-

Wait.

What?

Branch flipped the page backwards...his eyes widened.

Creek and Chef...got eaten by a monster. Then...why is Creek here? Didn't Creek say that he escaped Chef to take refuge in Bergen Town? What?! Was he lying? Did Branch imagine them getting eaten? He KNEW something was up! Oh, was he going to expose the hair gel off of Creek.

* * *

 **Aaaand, there it is! I know you guys have been waiting for an update for this for very long time, and I apologise for taking so long! Please forgive me! At least here's a new chapter to end the year! Cheers to 2017 and a happy new year everyone!**

 **So Creek is caught in a lie that some reviewers kindly pointed out. Don't worry, I've got it. I'm taking all the books into account as well.**

 **I think I should be okay with updating Aftermath soon, and I will also be updating Lone Concert soon! So get ready for that!**

 **I know, kind of a tame chapter after a long time of waiting, but I'm telling you, the next one is probably way better.**

 **in the meantime, I shall sign out,**

 **Bye!**


	9. Chapter 9 Interrogate Him

The next day, Queen Poppy and the Snack Pack were having a fun picnic as a retry of the first failed one. Bridget and Gristle were there too. They told the couple all about the sleepover. Even about the kiss. Creek frowned at that, but continued with his meditations.

"Oh my gosh, really? Poppy I'm so happy for you!" Bridget sweetly exclaimed. The pink troll gave a quick smile.

However, Poppy looked around for a certain blue troll who she hadn't seen since that morning, when she told him about it. He said he'd be there, but he wasn't yet...come to think of it, he was acting off.

 _"So, how about it?"_

 _"Uh..." Branch said, quickly stuffing his scrapbook in his hair. Huh. "Well, I mean...I was planning to do something else toda-"_

 _His stuttering paused at the sight of the look Poppy was giving him. Oh yeah. She whipped out the puppy dog eyes. There's no way he can resist it. Branch faltered._

 _"Ugh...fine..." he said, giving in. Poppy beamed and gave him a quick hug. Branch shook his head, but returned the hug._

 _"Haha, yes! I knew you couldn't say no!" she exclaimed, proudly._

 _"You're evil, you know that?" Branch said, rolling his eyes. He wore a small smile that didn't go unnoticed by her. Poppy smirked._

 _"And that's why you love me."_

 _"Whatever you tell yourself, your highness," he spoke sarcastically. Poppy laughed._

 _"I take it the Snack Pack's gonna be there?"_

"Yup! _And Bridget, Gristle...and Creek!" Poppy replied. Branch blinked._

 _"Creek?"_

 _"Yeah," Poppy replied, her smile turning nervous. "That's okay with you, right...?"_

 _Branch was silent for a bit, then he grinned widely. Oh, that was unexpected._

 _"Yes, perfect."_

But he still hasn't shown up. The picnic was less fun without her favourite grump. Poppy leaned into Satin's ear, since she was sitting the closest to her.

"Where's Branch?" Poppy whispered. Satin looked around.

"Hmm...I don't know. I expected him to be here sooner-"

"CREEK," a familiar voice yelled in the distance. They all looked up to see Branch marching towards them with his scrapbook. He didn't look happy.

"You've got some explaining to do!"

Creek looked uninterested, but confused. They all stared at Branch.

"What're you talking about, mate?" he asked as the grump approached them. Cooper, Biggie and Guy Diamond glanced at each other.

"Branch, what's wrong?" Poppy asked, concerned. Branch turned to his girlfriend with a defiant look on his face. He opened the scrapbook to the Creek and Chef page.

"What do you guys see here?"

They all examined it.

"That's the time Creek and Chef got banished before Poppy was crowned, right?" Suki said, racking her brain. Branch nodded vigorously, waiting for them to realise.

"Ah, good times," Gristle commented, chuckling.

"I remember that. I loved getting to throw a spoon at Chef," Bridget said, laughing.

"Watching some trolls squeeze lemons into her eyes..." Gristle added.

"Tripping her into the bowl..." the twins said together, giggling.

"Setting them both on fire..." Cooper said fondly.

"Watching them leave Bergen Town forever..." Poppy said, smiling. Creek looked unamused. He was right there, guys.

"And then we saw you two get eaten by a huge monster," Branch said to Creek, giving him an angry glare as he held the book out further.

"What's your point?" the purple troll asked, nonchalantly.

"You. Got eaten." Branch said, emphasising every word. Unbelievable. They were still giving him a blank look.

"This doesn't make sense? How can he be monster poop but also alive?" Smidge asked. Branch sighed.

"I've been thinking about it since yesterday-"

"So you didn't take a break?" Guy Diamond said, raising his eyebrows. Of course. Mr. Paranoid, duh.

"-and I know for sure we saw Creek and Chef get eaten. You said you got here by escaping Chef, but you should both be dead," Branch continued. They all looked at the calm troll. Branch narrowed his glare. "Start talking, liar."

The group of trolls all awaited his answer. He looked from one troll to the next.

"To be fair, I never lied. I just left out details. Why on earth would I lie about that? I see no real motive there. Your suspicions are unnecessary," Creek replied calmly.

"Start. Talking," Branch repeated. "I'm sick of your bull, I want answers."

"Okay, I will. But first of all, mate: relax and centre yourself."

"Creek, please. Explain now," Poppy said, stern but calm. She wanted answers too, but he needed to get to the point. She looked at Branch and put a hand on his shoulder. He was getting his hair in a twist.

"Of course, Poppy," Creek said, clearing his throat. "As you all remember, we fell into the mouth of a large monster."

" _Phew," Chef and Creek said once the fire went out. It was no longer burning them. Then Chef, noticing she had him right there, grabbed the troll greedily and prepared to eat him._

 _"No no no wait! Hold on, wait a second!" Cree_ _k pleaded as he neared closer to her open mouth. That's when they realised, the cart they were sitting on was balancing on a long, outstrectched tongue that was pointing skywards. The large beast's mouth was wide open, and they were in the middle of it, balancing on the tongue. Before they knew it, the tongue dropped down into the beast's mouth, taking them with it. They screamed as they fell._

 _"I don't wanna die!" Creek screamed as he stretched his hair upwards and grabbed hold of the monster's giant uvula. Chef quickly grabbed hold of his small body and outstrectched hair as a desperate attempt to not fall into the stomach acid, though._

 _"Oh no, you're not surviving this without me!" Chef cried. If she was gonna die, he was too. Creek struggled to hold onto the uvula as the weight of the Bergen pulled him down. He was getting stretched so bad, it hurt. His hair which was curled around it, slipped down the uvula slightly as Creek struggled to hold on and try to keep himself together. He was about to get pulled apart..!_

 _The beast felt a tickling in his throat. Especially, the uvula. Get it out! Get it out! It coughed up the two creatures that were causing a disturbance in his throat._

 _Creek and Chef hit the forest ground harshly. They didn't know which part of the forest they were in. Creek winced at the injuries he received, while Chef stood up._

 _"D-don't eat me!" the troll pleaded. "I-I'll do anything, I promise! You know I would!" If there was anything Chef knew about the troll, it's that he would do anything to avoid death. Useful._

 _After a couple of days, they came across Chef's old base in the forest. They lived there for a couple of months. Creek was used as a scrub brush to clean her pots and pans but at least he wasn't getting eaten. Then that one day..._

 _They had run out of food to eat. Chef couldn't control herself anymore. She tried to grab Creek as he ran away through the forest, trying to lose the hungry Bergen. He kept running and running and didn't stop. He heard the sound of the waves nearby. Well, at least he'd be out of the jungle of trees. Creek ran to the beach, but he heard voices in the distance. He paused. Creek stayed silent, listening for the sounds. Civilisation?_

 _Then he heard a bush nearby rustle._

 _A troll with blue hair jumped out of the bush, facing Creek. Who-?!_

 _The troll gasped and then swiftly entrapped Creek in a hair cage, making him yelp._

 _The blue troll looked at Creek worriedly. Creek stared back._

 _"Not good," the troll exclaimed running to a different part of the beach, taking Creek with him. That's when he saw..._

 _"_ You. That's really a summary of it all," Creek finished his story, addressing Poppy. Poppy looked at him in pity.

"Awh, you went through so much..."

"And rightfully so, considering what made us go through," Branch added, harshly. He was mad and confused. Creek had to have been up to no good! He just had to!

"So you see, I wasn't lying. I now just want to start over and continue being a citizen here-"

"Why did you sneak off into the forest at night?" Branch blurted out, desperately. Creek stared at him. Everyone remained silent.

"What do you mean?" Creek replied.

"I saw you during the past week. You snuck into the forest, making sure nobody was following. You did a crap job," Branch explained, trying to get something out of him. To relieve that gut feeling.

"What? Is it illegal to go into the forest at night now?" Creek asked sarcastically. "I meditate there."

Branch opened his mouth to say something, but Poppy interrupted him.

"Branch, can we talk?"

Oh god that wasn't a good sign to hear from your girlfriend. Did he screw up? Did he mess up?! What did he do!? AHHHHHH-

"Uh...sure."

They walked away from the picnic, and away from the group. Branch nervously turned to Poppy.

"Yeah..?"

"Branch, what is your problem?!"

Oh boy.

Poppy frowned at him.

"You're tired, you've lost sleep and you're hysterical! All because you couldn't stop obsessing over this. Why are you trying so hard to prove Creek is such a bad guy? I thought you said you'd be willing to trust him for me!" Poppy cried, legitimately concerned.

"I-I don't know..! He just seemed suspicious, and I just want everyone to be safe. That's all I ever wanted and I don't think he helps. I thought it was strange how he just suddenly showed up after being banished for months!" Branch exclaimed, breathing heavily.

"Branch look. So have we, and Creek explained himself. Please can I ask you to calm down? We got our answers," Poppy asked him.

"..." Branch remained silent. Could he ever calm down with Creek being present in the village? For the past few weeks he's been fine, I guess...but he could still have an evil plan up his sleeves!

...he _was_ obsessing over it too much...now he had zero evidence against him...

After he didn't reply, Poppy took Branch's shoulders and looked into his eyes. Branch looked at her too. She...was right. They were all right. Branch looked insane with his obsession with exposing Creek. He sighed. For her. Let it go for her. And you.

He nodded, but he still wasn't quite calm. She could tell he was troubled. Poppy silently leaned in and kissed his forehead gently. Blush dusted both their cheeks since they weren't quite used to casual kisses, but he looked like he needed one.

"I'll try this time..." he said quietly. Poppy smiled.

"Thanks. Now let's get back and apologise to Creek for the accusations," she said taking his hand and walking back. Branch sighed. He was wrong.

Once again, Creek made Branch look crazy. Things never change..

* * *

 **Guys, Aftermath just hit 100 likes! Thank you so much! In return, I give you another chapter!**

 **So Branch finally gets the answers out of Creek and..nothing. I took the movie and the novel into account for this one** **. That's the answer to the oust movie credit scene that a lot of you asked about.**

 **The original plan for Creek's flashback was gonna be a bit more brutal towards the monster, so I changed it a bit. Chef was originally gonna take her knives and stab-**

 **Anyway, Branch's accusations are debunked by Creek. Luckily, Poppy is there for her grump. They're so cute~**

 **I'm kinda sleeping and tired, so I understand if this one ain't that good.**

 **Hope you enjoyed!**

 **bye!**


	10. Chapter 10 Hide!

He hated the way Creek was smirking smugly, arms crossed as Branch stood in front of him. He could feel Poppy hovering close by.

"Well?" Poppy urged the blue troll. Branch angrily huffed but took a deep breath. He sighed.

"Creek," he said. Creek's smug smile grew. Branch glared at him. "Go screw yourse—"

Poppy nudged him hard before Branch could finish his sentence. He rolled his eyes and tried again. Everyone else was watching awkwardly.

"Creek," Branch repeated. "I'm…sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Creek teased, milking the moment.

"I'm sorry you're such a piece of sh-!" **_NUDGE._**

"I meant...sorry for the accusations…" Branch mumbled, angrily.

Do you know how hard it was to say "sorry"? Really damn hard, especially when it came to apologising to that idiot. The purple troll's grin grew smugger. How?

"It's alright, mate. Everyone makes mistakes every once in a while," Creek said "forgivingly". Freaking hell.

Poppy smiled. Now everyone was okay!

Kinda. Branch looked furious while Creek looked victorious. Ugh, Branch hopes he knows that he didn't apologise for the faker's sake, but for Poppy's. Creek's lucky that Poppy forgave the traitor so quick, otherwise, he'd be banished from Troll Village forever.

"Well, that was sure interesting," Poppy awkwardly said. "Let's continue, huh? Branch, join the picnic, you'll feel better!" she said, trying to get the mood up.

The Snack Pack all agreed, happily, glad that the little event was over. They began to sit down and continue their fun little picnic. Branch stayed in place, his face is wearing a frown.

Creek went to join them, but not before giving Branch one last taunting shrug…

Throughout the whole picnic, Branch had a nagging feeling in the back of his mind. He tried not looking at Creek because whenever he did, Branch's face would narrow into a glare. Questions ran through his mind. Some things just didn't add up, but he didn't know what factors he was missing.

Poppy, on the other hand, munched happily on a cupcake as she and Gristle talked.

"Mhm, yeah! Branch suggested troll guards but—what do you think?" Poppy asked him, her mouth full. The young king hummed in thought.

"Well, the flowers seem to be working pretty well so far."

"Yeah, but like, what about any other threats? You know? Like the ones that aren't affected by scents?"

"I'm sure I could get the Bergen guards to handle any threats, Poppy. But troll guards doesn't sound like a bad idea. Sounds kinda cute, actually," Gristle told her, munching greedily on a sandwich.

"I don't want Chad and Todd to be the only ones to defend. They need to relax as well! But at the same time, troll aren't used to fighting and we just want to have a fun life. I don't even know if trolls are capable. Except for Branch—Branch you can fight, right?" she said turning to him. Poppy was surprised to see him giving the death glare in a certain troll's direction…

"H-huh, wha-? Oh, uh, yeah. Any troll can if they train enough," Branch replied, quickly turning to look at her. During the course of his life, he spent a lot of it pent up in his bunker, hiding, and occasionally training his hair. That's why he could easily use it as a weapon against the spiders. Then he smirked. "Like me."

Poppy rolled her eyes and grinned.

"Why did you need to know anyway?" he asked the pink troll. She and Gristle looked at each other.

"We were just discussing the need for guards," Gristle told him.

"But, that's only if we need to. Right now it seems like the town and tree are safe," Poppy added. Branch nodded, kind of happy that she took his suggestion into account. All his species do all day is sing and dance and hug and dance and hug and sing and hug and sing and dance and…

Well, if a threat ever comes, let's just say they wouldn't be prepared.

Poppy was still reluctant to the idea, however. Like, trolls were made to party and have fun for the rest of their lives. But can't Bergens just party for the rest of their lives too? But having guards of both species can really amp the security that they need…

Do they need it?

Yes. She learned that there are dangers out there, and she doesn't want those to get in the way of the residents' lives. Having protection will help.

She sounds like Branch now.

As queen, she has to take measures!

"Poppy, are you okay?" Branch asked her, concerned. He watched her pull at her own hair in stress, looking like she was so conflicted. Well, she was having a mini argument in her head so…

Poppy, realising what she was doing, released her death grip on her hair. Branch was looking at her, confused.

"I-I'm okay!" she assured him. Branch didn't believe it one bit. Poppy sighed. "I'm fine, I swear."

 _"Right."_

As if he'd believe that.

A week later, all the trolls were going about their business by the troll tree and all throughout Bergen Town. Poppy and Branch were with Bridget, sitting on the colourful grass of Bergen Park. Tiny trolls and Bergens were playing and running around, laughing. Adorable!

Bridget was braiding the hair of Poppy, who was braiding Branch's blue hair. Branch sat cross-legged, reading a book as he let her carry on with it. There was no point trying to stop her, so.

"Yeah! And then he asked me out on another date!" Bridget exclaimed, excitedly, braiding the bright pink hair. Poppy gasped.

"That's great, Bridget!"

"You need us to help you with this too?" Branch sarcastically asked, flipping a page over. Poppy gave him a small whack on the back of his head.

"Ow! I was kidding!"

Bridget giggled.

"No," she said. Then she reconsidered. "Well…maybe. I still can't make up my own poetry, Branch…"

Branch flipped another page.

"I'm sure he'll like whatever compliments you give him," he said nonchalantly. This time, Poppy nodded.

"Yeah, he'll love you. I hope you two will have fun on your date!" she said, beaming. Bridget smiled sweetly.

"Thanks, guys. Say, have you two gone on a date yet?" the Bergen asked, curiously. Branch and Poppy blanched.

They were silent for a second.

"Um, no, we haven't," Poppy concluded, finally.

"You mean you're going out, but you haven't been on a date?"

"W-Whatever, what's the rush?" Branch stuttered, huffing and crossing his arms. His cheeks were a super bright shade of purple, right now. Great. He wasn't used to this kind of talk, okay?

"Well, I just figured, you should. You both have been kind off stressed lately..."

"Stressed?" Poppy and Branch echoed. What was she talking about?

"Well…" started Bridget. "Poppy, I can only imagine how much work you'll have to do as queen now. I know that you can take breaks but I also know that you can never really be finished with your duties."

Poppy sighed.

"Yeah, I guess…"

"And Branch…" Bridget continued. Branch made a sound, indicating that he was listening.

"You've been so worried and stressed about Creek and…"

Branch rolled his eyes, but he knew it was true. Thoughts of the traitor troubled him. Maybe it was because he was afraid, but why?

What do you mean "but why?"? Creek's untrustworthy, he's a traitor, and he can turn on us in a blink! Branch has reason to be worried!

M-maybe he actually has reformed? Trust Poppy. She told him to trust Creek and that's what he should do.

Poppy doesn't know Creek's true intentions.

Neither does Branch.

…

"I guess…" Branch merely replied to Bridget. A sound that sounded like reluctant agreement.

Bridget grinned. Branch rolled his eyes.

"We'll see what we can d—"

 ** _BOOM._**

Poppy, Branch and Bridget looked around in alarm. Trolls and Bergens were screaming and panicking everywhere. Poppy looked around frantically for the noise.

"What was that?!" Poppy shouted, over the screams.

"It sounded like it was coming from the Troll Tree!" Branch cried, using his sensitive ears to listen to the source.

Immediately, Bridget picked up the two trolls and raced towards the centre of Bergen Town. To the troll tree. Everywhere, Trolls and Bergens screamed and ran, panicking.

"BLEND IN! BLEND IN! HIDE!" Poppy blindly yelled to everyone. She didn't even know what they were hiding from. Once they got into view of the Tree, they paused.

"Blending in isn't gonna help us this time…" Branch whispered.

A giant mosquito. One was currently trying to get into the tree, but it couldn't. The ring of flowers not only gave off a scent, but it also created a barrier for the giant monster. It pounded into the barrier as hard as it could, repeatedly. It was only a matter of time before it would start targeting trolls outside the barrier.

"B-Branch! That's one of the-!"

"But it's colossal!" Branch cried out, in awe. He was also terrified beyond his mind. This bug was way bigger than any of the giant mosquitos he's ever seen. Oh god…

"ALL TROLLS, INTO THE TREE!" They could hear Peppy's voice bellow in the panicky crowd. The large bug stopped pounding the barrier and instead started to fly above the citizens, seeking trolls to hunt. They could see the colourful colours of trolls zooming towards the tree's protective ring of flowers, carrying young children and screaming.

"MEN! CHARGE!"

They turned to see Gristle leading Chad and Todd into the town, carrying spears. The two guards tried futile attempts to ward off the monster.

"Branch, let's get everyone into the tree!" Poppy shouted over the large noises.

 ** _BUZZ._**

"Alright, I'm gonna try to help Gristle, you get everyone in," Branch suggested, looked scared, but determined. They nodded to each other and jumped out of Bridget's arms.

"ALL BERGENS, HIDE IN YOUR HOUSES!" Gristle bellowed, frantically. They all obliged quickly and soon there weren't many trolls and Bergens that were exposed. Only a few, who were running for cover.

"Come on, come on, come on, no troll left behind!" Poppy urged the running trolls, guiding them to the tree. Branch ran around, trying to reach the monster while also shouting warnings at the running trolls. He saw a group of young ones frozen in place, looking petrified. They could've been easy prey!

"Get to the tree quick!" he cried urgently, trying to lightly push them in that direction. They all nodded, still scared of the monster and ran as fast as they could to the barrier.

"Go, go, go! Watch your step!" he called to them, hoping they would run faster.

He didn't even notice the buzzing behind him until it was too close. Poppy gasped.

 _"BRANCH!"_

 **Fanfic over. Branch is dead. That's the end, everybody, thanks for reading! :D**

 **...**

 **Haha, nah, I'm just messing with ya. I'm sorry there hasn't been an update in a long time. I've just been preoccupied with a lot of things like school. Not to mention I've been hit with writer's block, wehhh...**

 **Sorry if this chapter's a little too quick, but you know...things are how it is :,D**


	11. Chapter 11 A Boss Battle

_"BRANCH!"_

 ** _WHIP!_**

Branch flinched before he heard a large whipping sound behind him followed by the mosquito's cry of agony.

He whirled around quickly to see Smidge standing there, looking aggressively at the bug. She whipped her hair so the flying abomination got further away from Branch. He thought for sure he was a goner.

While Smidge distracted the monster, Biggie, Cooper, Suki and Fuzzbert had tackled it from the side, knocking it down a little and grabbed its attention. It hit the ground with a large thud.

It was quick to recover, however. Soon it was flying and zoomed straight towards its attackers. And before it could get any closer to them, Guy Diamond shot glitter into its eyes. It cried out in pain again.

"SATIN, CHENILLE, NOW!" Smidge cried to them as the bug was closer to the ground.

"LET'S DO IT!" Satin cried, pumped. The twins ran and jumped on either side of the bug, trapping it between their connected hair and kept it slammed to the ground. Branch could not believe what he was seeing. Since when could they fight?

"Branch!" Poppy cried, running over to him. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw her.

"Are you okay?" she asked him, worried.

"I'm fine," Branch said, looking at the trapped monster. Poppy immediately grabbed his hand and ran to the group.

The twins, being small creatures, couldn't hold the large bug down for too long. Eventually, it shook off the glitter on its eyes and broke free from the twins' grip. They flew back and hit the ground hard. Satin and Chenille groaned in pain as the bug zoomed away from Bergen Town. Apparently, they had dealt enough damage to drive it away.

"You guys okay?" Suki asked them, helping Chenille, then Satin up.

"Yes. Is it gone?" Satin asked, rubbing her head.

"I…think so," said Guy Diamond, looking around for any signs of it coming back. Not a buzz was heard.

"Oh good," Poppy breathed, relieved. Then she swiftly hit Branch's arm, earning a yelp of pain from him.

"Ow! What?!"

"You scared me! I thought you were a goner!" she said, crossing her arms. Branch rolled his eyes. It's not like it was his fault anyway…

King Gristle approached them, grinning.

"That was so cool, you guys! The way you fought it away!" he praised them. He gave a brief announcement, telling the Bergens to come out of their houses before continuing.

"Thanks!" the Snack Pack exclaimed together.

"Where did that huge mosquito even come from?" Poppy asked. Everyone looked at Branch for answers. For once, he was clueless.

"I…I don't know," Branch said, hating those words. Seriously, that bug was bigger than any they've ever seen and it was relentless. It didn't go away immediately once it smelt the flowers, it tried pushing through the barrier, even though it every impact on the barrier hurt the bug itself. It's like it had a goal or a target.

Poppy frowned slightly. If Branch didn't know anything about this then who would?

"It's alright," she said finally, "we'll discuss this in the next meeting."

"Got it," the Bergen King said. "I should go and make sure everyone is okay, anyway. See you guys!"

"C'mon, let's make sure everyone is alright," Branch said, indicating the trolls who were now outside the tree. Poppy nodded and followed Branch, the Snack Pack copying her. Poppy still couldn't believe what just happened. Maybe they need to plant these flowers all around Bergen Town, but even so, something else might try to attack them someday…

A few days passed. The trolls and bergens were now calmer. The attack still got them shook, but they eventually brushed it off since it was in the past. Besides, Queen Poppy had told them before that she had a plan. They would be fine.

Branch had been constantly on his guard ever since, though. How could he not be? He nearly died! However, he had tried remaining calm, especially for Poppy's sake. Poor girl was still stressing out about what to do about the whole situation. Right now probably wasn't the best time to stress out in front of her like how he normally does. Poppy always wore her heart on her sleeve, so Branch could easily tell that she was worried.

Currently, Poppy was in the Troll tree at her desk, snipping away at some felt. She was trying to scrapbook their latest experience while also trying to figure out their latest problem. Branch was sitting in a comfy bean bag near her, reading a book. Despite the fact he almost died, Branch looked calm. However, he was wracking his brains for a solution too…

"That monster was weird, wasn't it?" Poppy pondered as she cut out material to make wings. "Like, how huge it was?"

"Hmm, not to mention the strange characteristics of it. Did you see the way it tried to get through the aroma barrier? Most of those mosquitoes would smell it from a mile away and try to avoid it. It didn't even die when it "touched" it. It kind of just bounced off. It's definitely weird…"

"I don't know anything about anything you're talking about, Branch," Poppy admitted blandly, sticking the wings to the book. Branch rolled his eyes and shook his head. Poppy continued. "But I think I get it. The thing is, how are we going to fix the problem? More flowers? Around Bergen Town?"

Branch flipped a page. "Maybe. Yeah, that could work. But what about the creatures who aren't affected by flowers?"

"Hmm…" Poppy hummed as she started cutting more felt. "Maybe we can try to make peace with the monsters?" she said hopefully. Branch looked at her sarcastically.

"Yeah, I didn't think so…" Poppy said, chuckling as she added glitter to the piece.

"Sorry, I just don't think you can reason with monsters like those, Pops. No, I think we need to reconsider some ideas…"

"Like what?"

"I don't know…" Branch replied narrowing his eyes in concentration. What could they do..?

"Hey, Branch! Check it out!" Poppy beamed, showing him her latest scrapbook page. It showed the Giant Mozzie being trying to attack Branch. When she pulled a tab, the Snack Pack appeared, fighting off the beast. Glitter spurted out in the end.

"YAY!" The voices inside cheered. Branch shook his head at Poppy's childishness at a time like this, but he couldn't help chuckling a little

He looked at the silly display. It was way too colorful, but surprisingly well made. It showed him running away from the monster…charming. But it also showed the Snack Pack's act of bravery. If it weren't for them, he would've died.

…

Huh…

If it weren't for them…he would…have…

Branch gasped.

"Poppy, I have an idea!"

 **EHHHH, YES I KNOW. I WAITED TOO LONG. A better explanation is on my latest Lone Concert chapter, but basically, I was caught up in school and couldn't finish the chapters sooner. BUT ENJOY THIS FOR NOW :D**


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